Florida minimum wage up 12 cents an hour

Because the state of Florida indexes its minimum wage to inflation, the adjustment kicks in at the start of each year.

The new hourly wage of $7.79 may be a burden for some larger employers, especially those in the retail or hospitality sectors that employ hundreds or thousands of minimum-wage workers, but worker advocates say it helps people who are living on the edge, the Post report says.

According to the report, in Florida, 6.3 percent of workers who are paid hourly receive minimum wage or less.

Florida’s minimum wage is higher than the $7.25 federal figure, which has lost about 7 percent of its value in the three years since it was raised, according to the Economic Policy Institute, the report says.

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Whatwhatwhat?
Doesn't the state realize the path to economic strength is to centralize wealth in as few hands as possible?
Lookit what a good job it's doing already! The Bush tax cuts have created pure affluence for everybody! Why, the middle class has never been as prosperous with all that wealth a-tricklin' down all over the rest of us!

tax cuts. As of the beginning of 2013 the "Bush" tax cuts were voted on to become permanent by the majority of votes and will be signed into law by Obama. What more validation do you need that the "Bush" tax cuts were legitimate now that your side has approved them ?

Of course they're now Obama tax cuts, and of course they've been as beneficial to the rest of us as they were under Bush the Lesser. Amusingly enough the results, including record deficits, have also been equally beneficial.
Not only am I *not* an Obama voter-ie this one ain't my side, either-but I recognize that reaganomic tax cuts (be they under a Republocrat or Demican administration) are identical but that's not a surprise as they're designed for the same purpose. Apparently you failed to notice from the tone of my post that I do not approve of them.

An extra 5 bucks a week for a couple employees is no big deal. But larger companies will be impacted. If a company has 750 employees state-wide that's $3600 a week extra or $187,200 a year (plus additional payroll taxes). For just one company.

That roughly $200,000 will inevitably be passed on as higher prices on goods or services. So the irony of increasing minimum wage is the cost of goods & services increases for the same people minimum wage is meant to help. If you think about minimum wage jobs, you often think of fast foot restaurants. And who is more likely to purchase food at a fast food restaurant, someone on minimum wage, or a wealthy businessman?

One thing this country hasn't figured out is that everything doesn't have a simple solution, or a solution that can be mandated. There are often unintended consequences to well intended legislature. Do you really think $4.80 a week is going to make any significant difference in their lives? One Wendy's "single combo meal" costs more than that. Never mind that the company may look at that $200,000 and start thinking "layoffs".

If anything the $4.80 will be completely absorbed by the increasing gas prices and will cause no discernible improvement in quality of life, but will cause an increase in the cost of goods and services that affects us all.

As they say, there's two sides to every coin. You need to focus on the big picture, not the 12 cents an hour, to understand the negative impact these increases have on the economy. "Helping" low wage earners by increasing employer expenses just doesn't make sound economic sense, for any of us.